Knitted underwear.



N0. 663,5!7. Patented Dec. ll, I900. G. E. RUTLEDGE.

KNITTED UNDERWEAR.

(Application filed Feb. 1, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Unwrap rarns GEORGE E. RUTLEDGE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

KNITTED UNDERWEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 663,517, dated December 11, 1900.

Application filed February 1, 1900- Serial No. 8,579. iNo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. RUTLEDGE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Knitted Underwear, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

This invention relates to knitted underwear, and has for one object the reinforcement of the parts of the garment or garments which are subjected .to the greatest-wear-as the under portion of the sleeves near the shoulder, the body portion immediately below the sleeves, and the inner portions of the thigh.

A further object is to strengthen the fabric at the seams, so that when the garment is made non-tubular and then seamed together there will bean increased strength of material to receive the seaming-stitches.

A further purpose of the invention is to accomplish such reinforcing without rendering the garment bulky.

These objects are attained by increasing the number of stitches in the parts to be re inforced in excess of the number utilized in fabricating the other portions of the garment.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown whatis known as a union suit, though the invention relates to two-piece suits as well.

Figure 1 is an elevation of a union suit, and Fig. 2 is an elevation of a sleeve before seaming.

In the fabrication of underwear, particularly for the use of ladies, it is usual to knit the garment with a comparatively open stitch, following what is known in the knitting art as one and two or two and two, &c., as distinguished from close knitted work in which all of the needles of a knitting-machine are brought into action, and which work is characterized as one and one, and in which the largest number of stitches is made of which the machine is capable, and hence in which there is used a greater quantity of yarn than when the more open form of work is followed. In knitting the garments with the open stitches those parts at which there is much chafing quickly wear out, and heretofore it has been the practice in many instances to reinforce such parts by stitching on an extra piece or patch, and in some instances reinforcement has been secured by the use of doubleyarn. Both of these methods of reinforcement are objectionable, be-

cause they render the garment bulky and un-- comfortable.

In the garment illustrated in the accompanying drawings those portions which are subjected to much wear-such as the sides of the body, as represented at A, the under portion of the sleeve at its juncture with the body, as represented at B, and the inner sides of the leg'portions and extending upwardly to the waist, as represented at C-are formed of close-knitted work, eaclpljn e in the drawings repi; se ntiug awale or rib. The remaining portions iiot'su'bject to as great wear-such as the front D of the body portion, the waist portion E, and the leg portions F, extending from the ankle to the waist other than along the inner seam-are shown as being of openknitted work, some of the intermediate needles being out of action, so that the ribs or wales are farther apart. By this construction more stitches are formed, and consequently more yarn used along the edges of the fabric as it is knitted, so that when seamed up there is ample material to hold the seaming-stitches, and the parts subjected to the greatest wear are sufficiently reinforced by the use of a greater quantity of yarn to render them practically as durable as the remaining portions of the garment.

I show the reinforcements of the side portions of the body, as at A, as extending up to the shoulder, as shown at a. This feature is not so important to the garment when finished, excepting that it provides a stronger seainfor the attachment of the sleeve, but is rather incidental to the cheapness of manufactu re, it being a laborious task as knit-tingmachines are now organized to discontinue intermediate wales in the knitting operation.

The garment shown is knitted from the end portions upwardly.

I claim as my invention 1. The herein-described knitted undergarinent, having the inner sides of its sleeves, the side portions of its body and the inner sides of its legs formed with a greater number of stitches than areemployed in the renmining portions of the garment by the in- 8. The herein-described knitted undergar- 1o troduction of intermediate Wales. inent, having its sleeves provided with gores 2. The herein-described knitted undergarintegral with the remainder of the sleeve but ment, having at the inner side of the arms at having relatively a greater number of wales. the juncture thereof with the body portion,

a greaternumber of stitches than in the same GEORGE RUTLEDGE' area. in the outer portions of the garment,

\Vitn esses:

such stitches being formed by the introduc- PAUL CARPENTER, tion of intermediate Wales; LOUIS K. GILLSON. 

